SHREVEPORT, La. – Centenary gymnastics Graduate Assistant Morgan Leachman was chosen as one of nearly 300 participants from across the country for the Emerging Leader Seminar (ELS), hosted by the NCAA from January 27-29 in Indianapolis.

To be eligible for the conference, a participant needs to be an intern or GA in the athletics department at an NCAA institution, conference office, an NCAA affiliate organization or the NCAA national office.

“Graduate Assistant Morgan Leachman was selected to participate in the NCAA emerging leader seminar this week, which is a very exciting opportunity for her,” said head coach Jackie Fain. “There was a selection process for this and she was chosen as one of the top candidates in the country. The seminar will be working on things such as resume building, how to go through the interview process and instruction on how to lead the next generation of coaches as an athletic administrator.”

According to the NCAA, “At ELS, they explore the role of NCAA governance, including the differences in the divisions and the role of conference offices, and they will also get the opportunity to identify, and network with, key decision makers within college athletics.”

Participants will also “explore topics such as self-awareness and group dynamics, and along with a large group of their peers, evaluate their impact on the leadership within athletics departments. Through this exposure, they will return to your current role with the applicable skills and knowledge that will help them succeed in the next steps to becoming a college athletics’ professional.”

Gymnastics is in a unique position it has not been in some time, with a pair of Graduate Assistants for the 2016 season. That includes recently graduated Centenary gymnastics alum, Sylvia Keiter.

“It has been a huge blessing to have both graduate assistants on board,” said Fain. “Both have different experiences and bring something a little different to the table, which has been an amazing combination between the two of them. Obviously as a graduate of Centenary, Sylvia was on the gymnastics team for four years, has been through my program and knows the process very well what the athletes go through. She is very energetic and passionate young woman, and she brings that to the gym every day. It carries over to the athletes. She is doing an amazing job in the gym.”

However, coach Leachman brings a different perspective, having been a club coach for more than a decade.

“Morgan is a little older and brings a little bit different skill set in her coaching abilities,” said Fain. “She has learned the process of building upon and perfecting skills as the gymnasts add new things to their routines. While Sylvia brings enthusiasm, Morgan brings a calm confidence to the team. She has been through the process of bringing up young ladies into a nationally-competitive arena.”

In 2016, Ladies gymnastics broke the 190-point barrier in their second meet of the season. The Maroon and White did not accomplish this feat until March 1 in 2015, the eighth meet of the season.

Gymnastics faces another busy weekend with a pair of competitions. On Friday at 5 p.m. CST (6 p.m. local time), the Ladies battle host West Chester with Ursinus and Temple in Pennsylvania. The Maroon and White visit Penn, with West Chester for the second time on the weekend, in Philadelphia.